Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday, urged
Nigerian youths not to lose hope despite the challenges facing the
country.
Obasanjo, who described himself as ‘an incurable optimist’ in
Nigeria, declared that, though the current situation in Nigeria is
bad, he could see the light beyond the tunnel.
The former President said this in Abeokuta while addressing some
youths and students from selected schools in the state at a Youths
Governance Dialogue organized by the Youth Development Centre, an
arm of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.
Obasanjo, who cited examples of how he turned around the country
when it was in a comatose during the 1970 civil war and during the
regime of late Muritala Muhammed in 1975, said, many Nigerians had
lost hope then but that Nigerians’ hopes were brought back by their
regime.
He said, “Having run the affairs of Nigeria as a Military Head
of State when some people felt there was virtually no hope about
Nigeria and we turned it around.
“And having taken care of Nigeria when I came out of the Prison
when some people told me that I will be the last President of
Nigeria, because, after me, there will be no Nigeria again,
because, the situation was so bad. I have come to have tremendous
hope in Nigeria, belief and optimism. So, I am an incurable
optimist about Nigeria”.
He, therefore, advised “don’t lose hope, the situation is bad.
The current situation is bad. I don’t need to tell you that, but, I
can see the light beyond the tunnel. There is a light beyond the
tunnel”.